The Sonoma Spiel

Host Tim Zahner (Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau) welcomes Sonoma local Heather Kearsley Wolf of Kersley for a wide-ranging conversation that blends design, entrepreneurship, history, and travel tips.

Heather recounts the origin story of Kersley—how she went from construction and interior design to launching luxury linens and textiles produced with expert makers in Italy (and later the UK), navigating retail and trade showrooms, and ...

Host Tim Zahner welcomes California State Parks’ Peter Ostroskie for a deep dive into Sonoma Valley’s state parks—especially Sonoma State Historic Park in downtown Sonoma.

They explore what visitors can see across the park’s historic sites (including Mission San Francisco Solano, the barracks, Blue Wing Inn, and more), what’s free vs. ticketed, and how the park interprets Sonoma’s layered early history. Then Peter jumps into a rapi...

Tim Zahner (Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau) welcomes Britney Lee, founder of Cluster Funk Studios, for a wide-ranging winter conversation about art, music, and community. Britney shares how her signature paint parties are evolving into the “Art Lounge”—a casual, social creative event built around original designs and creative freedom rather than step-by-step instruction.

They also dive into Britney’s journey from a first sip-and-pai...

Tim Zahner welcomes Lindsay and Greg Hamilton of Hamilton Family Wines in Kenwood for a conversation about Sonoma Valley’s winter beauty, Kenwood’s small-town revival, and the Hamiltons’ path from garage winemaking in Berkeley to launching a winery after losing their home in the 2017 fires. They dig into what makes Kenwood special, the village’s new energy (including eye-catching roadside sculptures), and ways to experience the are...

Happy New Year from the Sonoma Spiel! Tim kicks off “circle back week” with a wellness-focused episode featuring very special guest Jes Williams of Sonoma Yoga—and yes, this time we actually mean it.

Jes shares how Sonoma Yoga (formerly Yoga Community) has been a Sonoma staple for over two decades, how the studio found its home at the Lodge at Sonoma, and what’s new for 2026—including popular hybrid classes like Yoga Flow 40/20, Yo...

Welcome to the final Sonoma Spiel Podcast episode of 2025 — we’re closing out the year, cleaning off absolutely none of our desks, and rolling straight into 2026 with a very special guest… and this time we mean it: Bob Taylor of Sonoma TV.

Bob is the Executive Director of KSVY (Voices of the Valley), the nonprofit community radio + TV station right here in Sonoma, and the behind-the-scenes wizard who helps make a lot of our local r...

This week Ryan Becker of Visit California is in the hot-seat for a wide-ranging, and often hilarious conversation about tourism, travel and what it really takes to promote one of the most diverse destinations in the world. We also tried to goad him into saying bad things about Florida, but he doesn't. A true gent, he.

Ryan shares his journey from a 15-year career in journalism to helping lead marketing efforts for Visit California,...

The persimmoning has begun in Sonoma Valley!  Host Tim from the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau kicks off this week’s Sonoma Spiel with fall fruit fever and a deep dive into Sonoma’s own winter wonderland — the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.

Tim sits down with Devon Hawkins to talk geothermal hot springs, the spa “bathing ritual,” the Watsu pool, and the cozy Swiss Chalets (fondue, alpine fries, hot toddies) — aka Tahoe vibes...

Tim from the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau sits down with chef/restaurateur Ari Weiswasser (Stella Kenwood, Glen Ellen Star, Park Avenue Catering) for a lively tour of Sonoma’s newest roundabout and the region’s food scene.

What you’ll hear

• Why Stella Kenwood is Cal-Italian: wood-fire grill, lamb ribs, tomahawks, Denver cut

• House pasta program (fresh/extruded semolina, gluten-free) + what a burrata bar really is

• Farm-driv...

It’s a perfect fall day in Sonoma—made even better with a milkshake with espresso (yes, really). This week, Tim sits down with Salvador Chavez, owner of Picazo Café and founder of La Luna Mezcal, for an energetic, wide-ranging conversation about food, family, and finding your own flavor in business.

Salvador shares how his family’s corner café in the Springs neighborhood evolved from a humble deli into one of Sonoma Valley’s best b...

Fall in Sonoma means harvest, friends—and great drinks. Tim sits down with Liz Takeuchi-Krist, co-owner of The Starling, a beloved neighborhood cocktail bar in Sonoma, to talk about building a welcoming, safe space (yes, even for solo guests) and the magic behind a truly great drink. Liz shares her path from Chicago music venues and wine auctions to bartending at the girl & the fig and finally opening The Starling, plus why the...

Welcome back to The Sonoma Spiel from the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau! We kick things off fresh from a festive homecoming pep rally (electric-guitar National Anthem, tractors, the works—Go Dragons!) and welcomes returning guest Paul Giusto of Highway 12 Vineyards & Winery. 

We talk all things Sonoma Valley harvest—why 2025 is running a little late, what “crush” actually means, how rosé saignée works, and what happens when eve...

You might groan when you see it, but deep down you know you love it: Pumpkin Spice Season. Born from Starbucks’ skunkworks, this cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice sensation has become a fixture in America’s culinary calendar—and Sonoma Valley is not immune.

This week, Michelle Lacy and Mark Bodenhamer return to talk all things harvest, fall, and autumn—while taste-testing pumpkin spice treats ranging from pretzels and nuts to cupcakes and e...

Jacob Yarrow joins Tim to unpack Sonoma State’s Green Music Center: World-class halls, wildly diverse ’25–’26 season (jazz, mariachi, contemporary circus, holiday shows & more), and how the venue keeps Sonoma County listening.

Fresh from moving the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau into its new HQ at the Toscano Hotel (come visit!), Tim sits down with Jacob Yarrow, Executive Director of Sonoma State University’s Green Music Cente...

This week, Tim sits down with Linda Keaton, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA), to preview Last West: Dorothea Lange’s California, Revisited. The exhibition pairs Lange’s iconic documentation of Dust Bowl migration with contemporary artists exploring today’s migrant labor, agriculture, climate, and community—revealing what has (and hasn’t) changed.

Linda also shares how SVMA is transforming a third of the ...

Matt Leffert from Jack London Park Partners wasn't running on a trail at Jack London State Park long enough to come to the Sonoma Spiel podcast. He told us who this Jack London guy was (evidently he owned the ranch that became the park, but turns out he was also a world-famous writer and adventurer) and why the park that bears his name is really multiple parks in one.

During the conversation we cover Jack and Charmian London, their...

Don't call it dirt - grapes need soil. Sam Coturri comes from a long line of farmers, and the don't just grow grapes, they grow soil. His pathway to farming started when he left the family business to go to college, work in the cannabis and marketing fields, and then coming home to his calling to help run the family businesses.

Their wine label, Winery Sixteen 600, specializes small batch, single vineyard wines, exclusively from c...

Let's take a walk around Sonoma - and do some wine tasting and food pairing along the way. This week our Very Special Guest is Renee ReBell from the award-winning Gourmet Food & Wine Tours, a local company that offers relaxed walks around the Plaza to Sonoma wineries and restaurants. Like her tours, our interview is a gentle amble that covers the beginning of the winegrape harvest in Sonoma Valley (ring that bell!), how she mov...

"Unite the Bay Area Through Sport" is the motto of the Bay Area Host Committee, the region’s first long-term sports entity that partners with local teams, civic leaders, and businesses to bring world-class sporting events to iconic Bay Area venues—driving lasting economic, cultural, and social impact.

This week on the Sonoma Spiel podcast, Adam Lewis of the BAHC talks about how the totality of the San Francisco Bay Area can be pa...